It was a funny old weekend of lockdown chat.

I was talking to my daughter on Friday in Melbourne and ask her what time she thinks she’s heading into lockdown. She asks what I am talking about

I tell her the 13 cases at the time is too many and Dan Andrews is a control freak and I am reading reports that federal politicians have been told to get to Canberra and the state cabinet is meeting in 15 minutes. This was at 11:45 Melbourne time.

She seems aghast. Her disadvantage is she’s 19, I’ve been around following control freaks like Andrews longer than she has.

By the time the announcement is made, she texts and tells me this lockdown completely blindsided me.

Fast forward to last night and it’s my turn to gobsmacked. My wife, a veteran of news and current affairs of many years standing, announces there will be no lockdown.

I have no words. The PM has flown to Wellington, they have no idea where the cases have come from, its Americold all over again and there is a New Plymouth connection. The whole cabinet is meeting, what part of that doesn’t she get?

We have a bet. The treat of our choice, we shake on it. She says I’m out of touch. I can’t believe she’s forgotten how this works

It’s an insight into how complacent we have become. Ardern is Andrews, Andrews is Ardern; they’re afraid, they are governed by fear and caution, they are control freaks

I texted several people in the news industry and ask them to call it. They call it wrong. They too are asleep having taken the complacency pill.

But here is the important thing: vaccine or no vaccine, we are stuck with this.

The reality is a handful of cases locks a place down. We have not progressed one step in 12 months. Tracking tracing promises and hype mean nothing. Three cases does it, three cases and we panic.

Here we go again. Forget your bubble, forget the borders, this is our reality. We aren’t on top of it, never have been.

Melbourne its 14. Auckland its three. Same story same result.